Refrigerator-car



(NoModeL) V C. F. PIERCE.

RBFRIGBRATOR GAR. No. 315,543. Patented Apr. 14, 1885'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT CEE/ICE0 CHARLES FLETCHER PIERCE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REFRIGERATOR-CAR.

I I SAJICIFICATIOIT forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,543, dated April 14, 1885.

Application filed February 1, isi-3. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES F. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Refrigerator-Cars, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerator-cars for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 257,830 were granted me May 9, 1882; and the objects of my invention are to provide means for utilizing the waste and cold water from the ice in the icepan for maintaining a low temperature in an auxiliary cooling-chamber of a construction adapted to prevent the water from coming in contact with the meats or other merchandise under the process oi' cooling, which chamber is combined with means for conducting the waste water from the car after the water has 'reached such a temperature as to be no longer effective asa cooling medium; to combine with the ice-pan an auxiliary cooling-chamber into which the fine or rotten ice may be pushed directly from the pan and utilized in reducing the temperature of the refrigerating chamber, and, nally, to combine with the ice-pan an auxiliary cooling-chamber adapted to receive and hold salt or other cooling compound, which, with the waste water or ice from the ice-pan, forms a brine serving to chill the walls of the cooling-chamber. I attain these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which is shown a detail longitudinal section of arefrigerating-car embodying my invention.

A represents a refrigerator-car, the construction of which, and the ice-pan B and trough C, are similar to that in my patent before referred to, except so far as modified to combine therewith the devices hereinafter fully described. Arranged at one end of this car are one or more cooling-chambers, D, preferably rectangular in cross-section, but which may be of any form best adapted for presenting the greatest area ofcooling-surface, and constructed of galvanized iron, zinc, or any other substance of heat-conducting and cold-radiating characteristics. These coolingchambers may be arranged at one or both ends of the car, and, if desired, upon the sides also, and may be made in series or in a single chamber, but in either case are connected with the trough C by a spout, E, or other suitable means adapted to conduct the waste water to the cooling-chamber as fast as it accumulates in the trough, the trough being slightly inclined toward one or both ends of the car to accelerate the ow of the Water so as to quickly remove it from and thereby maintain as nearly as practicable a dry atmosphere in the refrigeratng-chamber. The upper end of cooling-chamber D is provided with a suitable opening for the introduction of iine ice, salt, or other cooling material, to which opening access is had by means of a plug or trap, F, of any preferred construction, and located in thereof of the car, so that the iine ice or salt, or-both, can be. introduced into thecooling chamber or chambers 'from above by first opening the trap, after which the trap can be tightly closed. The cooling chambers or chamber, as herein shown, is provided with a spout or contracted portion, e, which extends down to the bottom of the car, and preferably opens into a chamber, F', formed by means of a suitable box or casing located on the bottomA of the car. Where cooling-chambers are provided at the sides of the car, one of these chambers F can be provided for each cooling-chamber, or one of said chambers F can be provided for the coolingchambers at both the sides and ends of the car by extending the casing substantially around the car.

The water from the cooling-chamber will drip into chamber F as the ice in the coolingchamber melts, and,if desired, the drip-spout e can be provided with a cock, e', so that the water can be retained within the cooling-chamber as long as it is sufficiently cool to be of practical benefit. The water from chamber F runs out through a waste-pipe, G, which passes through the bottom` of the car, and below this waste-pipe is hung a pan or trough, H, preferably inclined and leading to one side of the car so as to allow the water to run off to one side of the track.

I indicates a stand-pipe which rises from chamber F and extends up alongside the cooling-chamber D, with which it connects near its upper end by a pipe at the point z. This ICO` stand-pipe serves to prevent water Within the cooling-chamber from rising and flowing back into the upper ice-pan in the event of the discharge spout or pipe of the cooling-chamber becoming clicked with salt and ice, since if the cooling-chamber is filled with ice and salt the Water dripping from'the icepan will in time tend to :lill the coolingchamber to a higher level than desired in case the disch argespout ofthe latter is stopped up. Both the stand-pipe and the discharge-spout from the cooling-cham ber could be made to pass through the bottom of the car, but by employing chamber F an additional area of cooling-surface is obtained, and at the same time moisture is prevented from entering the car.

Vhen the ice in the ice-pan becomes rotten, it can be pushed out into the cooling-chamber, which constitutes a reservoir for ice and cold Water.

Access is had to the ice-pan through trap K for the purpose of filling it and also of pushing out from it the ice when cleaned. A suitable door or gate will be provided at the end of the pan and means provided for opening or closing said gate from either inside or outside the car.

The spout between the trough and the cooling-chamber can be made of sufficient size to admit of the free passage oi" the ice, or it can be made of substantially the proportions shown, and a gate or door provided at d which can be opened by any suitable means When it is desired to enlarge the passage between the pan and the cooling-chamber.

The ice introduced into the cooling-chamber can be salted, and also ne ice introduced by opening trap F. The cold water which drips through the perforated pan into trough C passes into the cooling-chamber, and before its discharge from said chamber is eiectivel y utilized as a cooling agent.

The trough H can be detached when desired, so as to clean it and remove such salt as may have accumulated therein.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, in a refrigerating-car,

of an elevated ice-pan and a drip-trough loy cated below said pan, with one or more lower reservoir cooling-chambers located Within the carin position to receive the contents of the ice-pan, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a refrigerating-car, ofan elevated ice-pan and a drip-trough located below said pan, with one or more reservoir cooling chambers connected by a spout or spouts with the elevated drip-trough,whereby Water from the pan will flow into and accumulate in the cooling-chamber, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a refrigerating-car, of an elevated ice-pan with a reservoir cooling-chamber located alongside the wall of the car, and means, substantially as described, for discharging accumulated Water from the cooling-chamber.

4. The reservoir cooling-chamber D, located alongside one of the car-walls, in combination with a trap located in the top of the car, as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, in a refrigerating-car, of an elevated ice-pan with a reservoir coo1- ing-chamber which receives the drippings from the ice-pan, and the stand-pipe I, Which connects with the cooling-chamber, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the reservoir cooling-chamber and stand-pipe, of chamber F', into which the stand-pipe and a spout pass, the cooling-chamber being open at its top end, and means being provided for conducting oft the water from said chamber F', substantially as described. l

CHARLES FLETCHER PIERCE.

Vitnesses:

JNO. G. ELLIOTT, XV. W. ELLIOTT. 

